


We are Stray Kids

by rqs902



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: A little angst, Fluff, M/M, basically how i imagine felix's time in stray kids has been so far, bromance is inevitable, chan being a good leader, dark but soft changbin, felix being a clueless but adorable ball of sunshine, minho is a little shy but jisung is super extra :)), oops hyunjin / seungmin came outta nowhere ehehe, this is becoming more of an overall stray kids fic rather than felix-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2018-01-27
Packaged: 2019-02-18 21:31:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13108911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rqs902/pseuds/rqs902
Summary: Moving to Seoul to start a new life as a trainee at JYP Entertainment marks the start of exciting new experiences and new challenges for Felix. Thankfully, he has his fellow trainees by his side, especially a certain rapper named Seo Changbin.





	1. Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix meets his new family.

Felix took a deep breath before turning the door knob, entering the unfamiliar dorm that would soon become his new home. He smiled awkwardly at the three trainees lounging on the couch in the living room, bowing deeply in apology for interrupting their conversation.

"Hello, nice to meet you all. My name is Felix and I'll be joining you as of today. Please look after me well."

His deep voice and hesitant Korean echoed hollowly in the room as the three boys, who looked close to his age, just stared at him for a couple of seconds before exchanging quick glances with each other.

"Hi, I'm Chan." The tallest one raised a hand in a curt wave. "They had told us a new friend would be joining us today. It's nice to finally meet you in person."

"Nice to meet you, too!" Felix waved back. _Friend_ , he liked the sound of that.

"Hi, I'm Jisung." A boy with a black beanie and ripped skinny jeans nodded at him.

"Jeongin." The third boy smiled shyly.

Felix smiled back and nodded, awkwardly not knowing what to say next. He wasn't confident enough in his Korean to try to start a conversation. All he could do was keep smiling at them while receiving just blank stares in return.

"So... I'm from Australia, and I think I noticed you may have an accent, so are you from a different country too?" the boy named Chan asked carefully, seeming to be the eldest out of the three.

"Oh! Yes, I'm from Australia too!" Felix exclaimed, relief washing over him, a genuine grin relaxing onto his face. "I'm so happy to meet you!"

Chan smiled back, switching to English as he continued. "Adjusting to life in Korea can be kind of hard at first. If you need help, just let me know. All the guys training here are very nice."

"Thank you, thank you so much!" Felix bowed deeply again, grateful to hear such kind words. Chan laughed lightly as he walked over to him and gently patted him on the back.

When Felix looked up again, Jisung smiled and spoke in English as well, "Welcome to our dorm."

Felix took another deep breath. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

 

~

 

As soon as Felix followed Chan into the practice room the next morning, Chan called the attention of the other boys in the room. 

"Morning everyone! This is Felix, he'll be joining us in training starting from today. He's from Australia, like me, so let's be patient with his Korean as he's still adjusting to living here."

Felix flushed slightly at Chan's polite way of bringing attention to his broken Korean. He hoped the others wouldn't hold it against him that he couldn’t communicate well. "Hi everyone, my name is Felix. Please look after me well," he introduced himself and bowed deeply once more.

"This is Hyunjin, Woojin, and Changbin, the other three guys training here with us," Chan introduced, gesturing to the three boys who were already sitting on the floor when they had walked in.

"Nice to meet you," one boy stood up to greet him with a smile. "I'm Woojin."

Felix nodded happily, "Nice to meet you, too!"

"Hey Felix, I'm Hyunjin," the boy on his left casually introduced himself with a lopsided grin, too lazy to get up from his position on the floor.

"Nice to meet you," Felix replied politely with a wave.

Shifting his gaze to the boy in the middle who still hadn't spoken, Felix guessed, "So are you Changbin?"

The boy dressed in all black nodded. “Welcome,” he greeted, his voice low and his lips curved in a slight smile.

"Thanks," Felix beamed, a bit shy from all the attention.

Chan announced something along the lines of practice starting in five minutes, and Felix resisted the urge to ask Chan to repeat that in English. He was going to have to get used to using Korean.

From behind, someone slung an arm around Felix’s shoulders. He jumped slightly before registering Changbin’s voice saying, “Don’t look so nervous, kid. We won’t hurt you. Promise.”

Felix smiled, a warm feeling spreading in his chest.

 

~

 

With a chorus of heavy sighs, seven tired bodies collapsed onto the floor in relief as Chan announced it was time for their lunch break. 

"And because it's Felix's first day, let's order some fried chicken to celebrate!"

"Chicken?!" Felix's eyes lit up immediately, a huge smile plastered on his face.

Chan laughed happily. "I'm glad you approve of my idea."

"Of course! I love chicken!" Felix grinned, earning him some laughter and shouts of approval from the group.

Jisung proudly declared, "I like you already, Felix."

Felix smiled back and watched happily as Chan placed the order over the phone.

"So tell us a little bit about yourself," Woojin encouraged, gesturing at Felix. "We're all curious."

Felix flushed slightly from the unexpected attention, trying to form the sentences of his answer. All of a sudden, he couldn’t think of anything to say.

"I'm… um… ah…”

“Felix, you’re from Australia, right? Like our kangaroo, Chan!” Jeongin spoke up with a bright smile, helping him start the conversation.

“Yea! My parents are both Korean, but I did not speak much Korean in Australia.” He started slowly, trying his best to watch his grammar to make sure he was speaking intelligibly. He was relieved to see a couple of nods of understanding from the other boys, encouraging him to continue. “Hmm… I really like swimming….”

“So what’s your talent, kid?” Changbin interrupted, a slight smirk on his lips.

“Ah, dance! I passed the audition due to my dancing.”

Hyunjin raised his hand excitedly. “You’ll be with me then, Felix! We’ll make a dance team.”

“Okay!”

“You’ll probably need to try either rapping or singing as well, which do you think you’d like to try first?” Chan asked.

“Hm… I guess I’ll try rap. At the audition they told me my voice would be suited for it, because it’s pretty deep.”

“If you ever need help with rap, let me know, I give Hyunjin rap lessons all the time,” Changbin offered smugly, reaching over to ruffle Hyunjin’s hair as he spoke. Hyunjin shook his hand off in protest.

“Hey, I help with rap, too!” Jisung added, making a face at Changbin. “You can always ask me too, Felix.”

Felix laughed lightly. “Thank you guys so much!”

“Of course, kid. We’ve got your back.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! Thanks so much for reading!! This is my first time writing for Stray Kids, but I wanted to contribute to the growing collection of their fics here. Please feel free to leave comments below, and I'll be sure to work on improving my writing as I go on! Happy holidays everyone! :)


	2. Jjajangmyeon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Changbin treats Felix to lunch.

After morning practice the next Saturday, Changbin pulled Felix aside. “Hey, kid. Come eat lunch with me.”

“Okay, sure!” Felix agreed, eager to spend more time with any of his fellow trainees. Besides the group dance sessions, trainee life honestly consisted of a lot of time alone. Practicing Korean by himself, perfecting dance routines by himself, attempting to study rap by himself. He had no friends in Korea outside of these six other boys, and he was getting pretty lonely. It would be great to get to know his new friends even more, especially outside of practice.

Changbin smirked in response and opened the door, gesturing for Felix to follow him.

Felix quickly waddled over, a bright smile stretched across his lips. “Where are we going?”

“Hm… Wherever you want,” Changbin shrugged.

Felix scrunched his brow, thinking of what food to eat. “I like anything that isn’t too spicy.”

Changbin paused for a second to think before answering, "How about we just order some delivery jjajangmyeon, and I'll show you my favorite spot in this building where we can eat?”

“That sounds awesome.”

Fifteen minutes later, with jjajangmyeon in hand, Felix found himself following Changbin up a narrow set of stairs.

“Where are we going?” he asked again curiously.

“You’ll see.”

As soon as they reached the uppermost landing, Changbin stopped before opening the door to exit the stairwell, waiting for Felix to catch up.

“So this is your favorite spot?” Felix asked as soon as he reached Changbin’s side.

“Yup, you ready to see it?” Changbin asked, his hand resting on the door handle.

“Of course,” Felix grinned, excited to see what would be waiting on the other side.

With a light push, Changbin opened the door, revealing a small rooftop landing. “It’s nothing much, but I just love coming here to escape.” He smiled softly.

A few benches and short tables decorated the small outdoor space. The area didn’t look nearly as clean and polished as the inside of the building, but it was quiet, and almost comfortingly different. He could imagine coming here to escape.

“I love it,” Felix murmured in awe, turning back to face Changbin.

“I thought you would.” Changbin smiled back, his gaze naturally gravitating to the younger boy’s cheeks, admiring how the natural sunlight made Felix’s freckles stand out even more than usual.

_His freckles are pretty cute._

Shaking his head slightly to chase away any stray thoughts, Changbin set his food down onto a nearby table and gestured for Felix to sit down across from him. “Let’s eat. I’m pretty hungry, kid.”

Felix nodded happily in reply.

 

~

 

"So what brings you here, kid? What made you want to be a part of all this?" Changbin asked, gesturing to their surroundings.

"You mean why I came to Korea?"

"Yea, why did you decide to leave your home behind to come here?"

Felix smiled at the question and stated simply, "I love music."

Seeing both passion and determination reflected in his friend's eyes, Changbin couldn't help but smile back. "I like that answer, kid. I love music too." He chuckled softly. "Do you listen to G-Dragon?"

“G-Dragon’s my favorite!”

“Me too, I really look up to him. I love how his music can really leave an impact on people, and I admire how much he’s influenced the world.”

“I agree. He’s really cool,” Felix added, wishing he could say more, but not knowing the proper words in Korean.

“I’ll teach you how to rap, kid, so you can be just as cool as him,” Changbin grinned proudly.

Felix laughed lightly in response, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “I would love that.”

 

~

 

“Changbin, how often do you come up here?”

Changbin thought about it for a moment, before answering, “Pretty often. Like I said, I come up here to escape and just relax. Whenever I need some alone time. I also like to play pranks on the other guys, so whenever I need to hide from them, I come up here,” he ended with a short laugh. “They never think to look for me here.”

“Oh? How come you’re showing me this place then?” Felix asked curiously, a sly smile on his lips. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll ruin your alone time or tell the others about your hiding spot?”

Changbin shrugged, turning his body to lie down on his back along the bench, clasping his hands under his head like a pillow. “I trust you, kid. Don’t give me any reason not to.”

Felix laughed in response. “Okay, I won’t.”

“Good. Now tell me more about yourself.”

“I… uh… I’m good at giving massages?”

Changbin raised an eyebrow. “Is that a question?”

“Sort of? I guess because it depends on the person I’m giving a massage to… Whether I’m good or not.”

Changbin rolled his eyes with a slight smile. “Hey kid, shouldn’t you have more confidence than that? You gotta practice having confidence if you want to be able to perform well on stage.”

“I know, I know,” Felix’s gaze dropped. “I’m just not very brave.”

“We’ll have to work on that, kid."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year!! Sorry for the delay! I'll try my best to update more often, but with the holidays, my family gets pretty busy. This chapter is a bit short, but the next update will be soon :)


	3. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Changbin opens his home to Felix.

"Are you sure this is okay?" Felix asked quietly as they walked up to the front door.

"Of course. My mom is really excited to meet you. She's making a ton of good food for dinner, so you best be hungry," Changbin gave a short laugh as he turned the key in the lock to open the door.

"Welcome to my house."

Felix stepped into the doorway with wide eyes and his jaw dropped. Changbin's house was huge.

"I thought it might be nice for you to eat a homecooked meal for once, rather than whatever Chan feeds you guys at the dorm," Changbin shrugged, casually leading Felix inside to a living room with a tall, spacious ceiling and a crystal chandelier.

"You live here?" Felix gaped.

"Yea, but don't look so stunned, kid. I try to keep it lowkey," Changbin laughed gently.

"I've never seen such a beautiful home..."

"Come sit down, kid. Let's watch a movie or something."

Felix nodded hastily, shuffling over to sit down beside Changbin.

"My mom will be home soon, and she will offer you a ton of food. Don't worry about finishing it all. Trust me, you do not want to force yourself to eat more than you can handle. You'll just regret it later."

Felix grinned. "Okay, got it."

 

~

 

"Changbin's told us a lot about you, Felix," Changbin's mom remarked happily as she sat down at the dinner table to join them.

"Really?!" Felix asked, alarmed by the thought of what Changbin would say. He was the new kid, the kid who couldn't speak Korean, the kid who was having trouble keeping up with lessons, the kid who got lost whenever he stepped outside of the JYP building.

She nodded and smiled gently. "Yes, Changbin said you work very hard and are very passionate about music. He also said you're very cute, and I can see why!"

"Mom!" Changbin immediately scowled and slouched in his chair, as if trying to hide from Felix's questioning gaze.

"Cute? Me?" he asked curiously, pointing at himself.

"Don't worry about it, kid." Changbin muttered, his face coloring with warmth.

"How has training been for you so far, Felix?" Changbin's mom quickly changed the subject, amusement evident in her smile.

"Good! Everyone is very nice. Especially Changbin. Thank you so much for dinner today," Felix bowed slightly as Changbin's mom handed him a bowl filled with rice.

"You're welcome! No need to be so polite, I'm just glad Changbin is being a good friend to you," she replied, continuing to add more and more food to Felix's bowl.

Felix looked at Changbin with wide eyes, noticing the alarming amount of food she was giving him. Changbin shrugged, as if saying, _I told you so_. Felix resisted the urge to laugh and just smiled sheepishly at Changbin beside him.

 

~

 

"Wow you were right, I think I'm dying..." Felix groaned as he collapsed onto Changbin's bed, face-first.

"I told you not to eat it all, kid." Changbin laughed, sitting down on the floor beside the bed. Felix rolled over onto his back and spread his arms apart with a satisfied grin. "Your mom is really nice, and she makes really good food."

Changbin hummed in response, grabbing a stuffed doll off of his bed just as Felix was about to squash it.

"What's that?" Felix asked curiously, sitting up to see what Changbin was guarding so closely.

Changbin coughed slightly in embarrassment, cheeks tinged red as he answered, "Oh this? This is just Gyu. He helps me sleep at night."

Felix burst out in laughter and Changbin stiffened. "Kid, you better not-"

"Aww Changbin, you're so cute!"

Felix gushed, pulling Changbin into a big, tight hug.

Changbin's face immediately flushed a deep red and he could only manage to fight back feebly, quickly surrendering to Felix's warm embrace.

"I'm not cute, kid," he grumbled as Felix continued to cuddle him in his arms.

_You're cute._

 

~

 

"I don't need my own room, I can just sleep on the floor," Felix insisted, closing the door of the guest room behind him. "That way, your parents won't have to wash another set of bedsheets. I'm only sleeping over for one night, I'll survive." 

"Suit yourself, kid," Changbin shrugged, leading Felix back to his bedroom. "I'm not gonna let you sleep on the floor, though. What kind of host lets their guest sleep on the floor? You can take my bed, and I'll sleep on the floor." Changbin muttered, opening his closet to grab an extra pillow.

"Or... We could share the bed?" Felix suggested, smiling happily as he laid down, making room for Changbin.

Changbin scowled, thankful the dimly lit room hid the pink dusting his cheeks. "Whatever," he mumbled, switching off the light and climbing into bed beside him.

After a few seconds of lying in the darkness, Felix piped up, "Changbin?"

"Yea?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"What do you want, kid?"

"You asked me last time, but I forgot to ask you. How come you want to be an idol?"

Changbin smiled softly at the question. "After I rapped and danced at a school talent show, I realized that I loved the feeling of being onstage. I'll never forget the reactions of the crowd and how amazing that felt." Turning onto his side to face Felix, he continued, "So, from then on, I dreamed of becoming a singer."

In the darkness, Felix turned towards Changbin as well. He smiled and responded softly. "They must’ve loved you. You're amazing, Changbin."

Changbin shook his head, too embarrassed to respond. He hugged Gyu against his chest as he burrowed his face into his blanket.

That night, a certain blonde-haired boy with cute freckles appeared in Changbin's dreams. 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, this chapter is kind of short too. After this, I think the story will be really starting from here.


	4. Homesick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix misses home.

Two months in, and Felix already missed his mum too much. There was only a two hour time difference between Australia and South Korea, but with his busy schedule, he barely ever got to talk to her.

Having practice seven days a week was brutal. He rarely had any free time. Luckily, his fellow trainees were slowly warming up to him. Changbin had quickly become one of his closest friends, but overall, it was still a little awkward to say the least. Maybe it was because his Korean had barely improved. On the bright side, another new trainee, Seungmin had joined shortly after him, so at least he wasn’t the newest person on the team anymore.

He had quickly become attached to the new boy, who he had found out was only a few days younger than him. Felix especially loved messing around with him and Jeongin, their youngest member who he couldn’t help but adore.

Hyunjin was super patient and easy going, helping him and Jeongin go over difficult dance routines every night, even after the group practice ended at 1am. Felix was catching on quickly, but he still felt behind and apologetic to the older boy.

Felix just wasn’t good enough.

 

Sighing, Felix closed the door to the practice room behind him as he trudged back to the dorm at 5am. He had stayed behind to study some Korean grammar books and lost track of time. As he walked, his mind was empty, too tired to think any more. His brain didn’t even register he had walked into the dorm and taken off his shoes, before he collapsed on the couch in the living room.

“Are you alright, Felix?” A gentle voice came from the kitchen, and Felix turned to see Chan walking toward him with two glasses of water in his hands. “Here, have some water.”

Felix nodded and took the cup gratefully. “Thanks, Chan.” He was glad Chan could speak to him in English. He didn’t know if his brain could process any more Korean at this late hour. “How come you’re still up?” he asked.

“I was working on producing some tracks to make potential 3RACHA mixtapes. The company wants us to start releasing material soon. This could be our big break, so I gotta make sure the tracks I make are good.”

Felix smiled lazily, having full confidence in his friend. “I’m sure they will be.”

“Thanks, mate. What about you, what are you doing out so late?” Chan asked worriedly, sitting down beside him.

“Just practicing,” Felix yawned, gesturing to the Korean grammar books he had dropped on the floor beside the couch. “And trying to get better at Korean.” 

“Ah, the trainee life is tough, isn’t it?” Chan murmured. “I’ve been doing this for 6 years and I still question whether it’s worth it sometimes.”

“Yea, I can’t imagine what it’s been like for you, all these years…”

Chan sighed, closing his eyes. “I’ve gotten used to it. At first, it was really hard though. I missed my family and my friends back at home, and I cried a lot during my first couple of months here. You’ve been pretty strong so far, Felix.”

“I guess… I’m trying to be…” Felix bit his lip as images of his mum and dad flowed into his mind, and his friends waving goodbye as he headed to the airport. He had no idea when he would ever get to see them again. It almost felt like it had been years ago, another lifetime ago, that he had been back in Australia. He thought of his mum again, and how he hadn’t had a chance to speak to her for the past few weeks. Warm tears starting rolling down his cheeks and he tried wiping them away before Chan would notice.

“It’s okay, Felix.” Chan murmured gently, putting an arm around Felix’s shoulders. “Don’t try to hold in all your stress. I’m here for you. We’re all in this together now, and we’ll all make it through.”

That night, Felix cried himself to sleep for the first time, but it wouldn’t be the last.

 

~

 

Jisung tapped his pencil on the table, looking around the dull walls of the small practice room in search for inspiration. He was frustrated that he had still only written one line of rap in the last three hours. Chan had sent him and Changbin a new 3RACHA track he’d made, asking the two of them to try writing rap lyrics to it, but so far, Jisung wasn’t having any luck. He sighed, standing up to stretch.

As he sat back down, Changbin peeked through the doorway with a notepad in one hand and a pencil in the other. Messy lyrics were scribbled all over the paper, but he wore a triumphant smile on his face that told Jisung that he had written another masterpiece.

“I’m ready to hear it,” Jisung grinned, sitting down at the small table in the room. Changbin sat down across from him and started playing Chan’s new track on his phone. As Changbin starting rapping, Jisung nodded his head to the beat, following Changbin’s flow. His rap was impressive. Jisung couldn’t help but be a little jealous.

“I’m still working on mine,” Jisung admitted, after honestly praising Changbin’s rap. “I’ll be sure to make mine just as good as yours.”

“It’s alright, we still got time,” Changbin assured him, squeezing Jisung’s shoulder gently as he stood up to leave. “I’m going to go check on Felix. He told me he wanted to work on his rap today.”

Jisung nodded halfheartedly, still disheartened by his own struggles.

Changbin gave him an encouraging smile before going off to find Felix. Opening the door to the dance practice room and seeing Hyunjin, he asked, “Have you seen Felix?”

Hyunjin shook his head. “He left an hour or so ago, but I don’t know where he went.”

“Ah, okay, thanks.” Changbin turned down the hall and tried looking in the recording studios and vocal rooms, but still no Felix. After a whole hour of searching, Changbin started to get a little worried.

Where was this boy, and why didn’t he tell anyone where he was going? Felix hadn’t answered any of his messages either. What if something had happened to him? Just as Changbin's mind was growing frantic, he suddenly thought of trying one last place.

 

~

 

Swinging open the door to the roof, Changbin was met with the sounds of someone sniffling. He froze. Huddled in a corner was a tuft of brassy blonde hair that he recognized immediately.

Felix was hunched over, his knees brought up to his chest and his hands covering his face, wiping away tears.

“Hey,” Changbin murmured, sitting himself down on the ground beside Felix. The younger boy’s crying only grew louder and Changbin quickly put his arms around him to try to comfort him.

“Hey, Felix, it’s okay. It’s okay, I’m here,” he whispered, holding the boy close.

“I-I’m so sorry,” Felix stammered, clutching Changbin even closer.

“What are you sorry for? Don’t apologize.”

“I-I’m sorry, Changbin, I just c-can’t keep up." Felix stammered, his deep voice cracking as he spoke. "I can’t do this. I miss my mum…” The more words poured out of his mouth, the more tears flowed down his freckled cheeks.

“Don’t worry, you can do this. We’ll do it together.” Changbin murmured, willing tears away from his own eyes. He had to stay strong for his friend. “I’ll help you. I promise, I’ll help you, Felix,” Changbin insisted, tightening his grip on Felix’s sleeve as he felt the pain straining the younger boy’s voice.

Using strands of broken Korean, Felix attempted to piece together what he wanted to say. "Changbin, you've already tried to help me, and I still can't do it. Everyone's trying so hard to help me, but I just can't do anything. I can't rap, I can't dance, I can't speak Korean... Changbin, I can't do this, this whole idol thing. I miss my family and my friends and I miss being at home and I-I just can't do this anymore..." Felix's voice trailed off with a shaky sigh. "I don't think I belong here. I'm a failure."

"No, don't say that." Changbin responded softly, taking a deep breath to steady his own voice. He had never heard Felix cry before. The boy was always smiling and always laughing.

_He's been hiding so much pain._

"Felix..." he murmured, his voice low and gentle. "Yes, you still have much to learn. We all do. I know you're going through a lot, so much more than I ever have. But please believe me when I say you are not a failure. Felix, you've been working so hard and you've already improved so much." Changbin could feel Felix's body trembling in his arms. "I remember the first time we came here to the roof, you told me that you came to Korea because you loved music. One day, when all this training is over, we'll be making our own music, just like G-Dragon. We'll inspire younger kids, just like how he inspired us, to love music as well. Each day, we get one step closer to our dreams. Please, don't give up. Trainee life is a terrifying path that feels like hell, but I really hope you will endure it with me, so that you'll be there when we all make it to the light at the end of the tunnel."

Changbin pulled away from Felix, to the younger boy's surprise, reaching for both of his hands instead. "We'll make it there, Felix, I promise."

Felix bit his lip, noticing the sincerity reflected in Changbin's eyes. "Do you really think... we'll all make it?"

"Of course, Felix. I know we will." He knew he had to show Felix that he had enough confidence for the both of them. "I don't think I can do this," Felix repeated slowly.

"Yes, you can, I promise." Changbin assured. "We'll make it together.” And with those four words, Changbin swore he would do whatever he could to help Felix stay by his side.

 

For a brief moment, Felix held Changbin's gaze, his eyes unreadable and his expression dark.

Then, without warning, Felix pulled Changbin into another warm hug.

"Thank you," Felix whispered, burying his face in Changbin's shoulder. "Thank you for believing in me."

"Of course, kid."

At this, Felix burst into bright laughter. "And here I thought you were finally going to start calling me by my actual name," he laughed airily. "But I guess 'kid' works too."

Changbin chuckled, seeing the familiar smile that reminded him of warm sunshine.

_Whatever makes you happy, Felix._

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to do angst!?!?? I hope I'm staying in character... On the bright side, I can't wait for their Mixtape album to be released! I'm definitely going to get a copy heheheh :) Thanks so much for reading so far!! Minho will make his first appearance by starring in the next chapter c:


	5. Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minho is a little shy.

"I'm Minho," the new boy introduced himself curtly. Without much more of a hello, the rest of the boys resumed practice as usual with a stale silence. The only voice speaking was Chan's as he watched them go over new choreography, checking their progress. At the break, Jisung approached Minho with a bright smile, determined to start a conversation with him.

"How are you doing so far, Minho?"

"I'm okay."

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

"No, I'm okay."

With such a short reply, Jisung couldn't figure out how to continue the conversation. He frowned, labeling his first attempt at engaging the new boy a failure. Sighing inwardly, he put on a smile and tried again.

"So you're a dancer?"

"Yup."

"What's your specialty?"

Minho shrugged.

_Well, this isn't getting anywhere._

Jisung refused to give up.

"What kind of dance experience do you have?"

Minho paused for a second before replying softly, "I was a backup dancer for BTS before. I really like them."

Jisung's eyes lit up in response. "That's really cool! You must know all of their dances, and their choreography is usually really hard! You must be really good at dancing."

Minho smiled shyly, shaking his head in modesty.

Jisung nudged Minho with his elbow playfully. "Hey, there's no need to be so quiet around us. We won't bite," he grinned. "We're a pretty loud bunch, so you'll never get your voice heard if you don't speak up."

Minho laughed lightly. "Alright, I'll try my best. Thanks, Jisung."

"Of course!"

 

~

 

"I'm a little worried," Chan admitted as he trudged into their dorm that night, seeing Felix and Jeongin sprawled around the living room, studying.

Jisung popped his head out from the kitchen to ask, "Why? What's up?"

"I'm just thinking... What do you guys think of Minho so far?" Chan asked, settling himself down on the couch.

"He seems okay, but pretty closed off," Felix replied, shrugging slightly. "I don't blame him, it was pretty intimidating for me at first too. Maybe he'll open up to us over time."

"I'm just worried because it's been over two weeks now, and I don't think he's had a proper conversation with any of us," Chan sighed.

Jisung shuffled over, sitting down on the floor beside Jeongin. "I've talked to him about this once, told him not to be so quiet around us." Jisung admitted.

Chan frowned, "But he hasn't done anything about it."

"Maybe I can try talking to him," Jeongin offered.

"Yea!" Jisung agreed immediately. "Everyone loves Jeongin! He's small and cute and non-threatening."

"Non-threatening?" Felix questioned, not understanding until Chan quickly explained what the word meant.

Jeongin merely laughed in response to Jisung's words, his eyes crinkling into crescents and his cheeks reddening with embarrassment. "Thank you?"

Seeing this, Chan cracked a smile too, laughing along. "Okay, but let's not put all the pressure on Jeongin, we can all try to talk to him."

 

~

 

"Minho, can you help guide me through the new dance routine? I feel bad asking Hyunjin all the time."

"Minho, can you check my Korean pronunciation with these phrases in my grammar book? I think I've really improved since last time."

"Minho, can you help me check over the group's choreography as a whole? I need a second pair of eyes to double check our progress."

And just like that, Minho became Jeongin's dance trainer, Felix's Korean tutor, and Chan's right-hand man in leading group dance practices. He was definitely becoming more and more open around everyone, but as Jisung watched him interact with the rest of the group members, he could still feel that something wasn't right.

"Minho, let's take a break," Jisung suggested, pulling the older boy aside after they finished group practice a little early on a Friday night.

Minho nodded, a faint smile playing on his lips. He followed Jisung downstairs and outside onto the street.

"What can we do around here this late at night?" Minho asked, his voice soft.

"Not much," Jisung replied, spreading his arms wide and spinning in a lazy circle. "Which means we can do anything you'd like," he grinned.

Minho laughed gently. "How can we do anything if not much is around?"

Jisung tilted his head to the left, tapping his finger against his left temple. "Gotta use your imagination."

 

~

 

Sitting down on a bench outside a 24-hour convenience store, Jisung popped open a can of coke he'd just bought and took a gulp of the fizzy liquid. "Ahh~" he sighed with satisfaction and grinned at Minho as he brought the can back down from his lips.

The older boy chuckled lightly. "What are you doing, filming a coke commercial?"

"I'm using my imagination," Jisung winked, his smile mischievous as he closed his eyes and leaned back on the bench.

"Picture this, Minho. We're sitting, lounging on the grass at the Han River park. The sun is setting, painting the sky a colorful mix of pink and orange. Feel the wind blowing in our hair, and the hear the sounds of children laughing and grandmas gossiping in the distance."

As Jisung continued describing the non-existent scenery, Minho just stared at him. Jisung, with his eyes closed, had a big, lazy smile stretched on his face as he continued on and on.

"You're crazy," Minho laughed, but seeing how Jisung grinned proudly at these words, Minho decided to close his eyes and play along.

"Give it a try, Minho," Jisung urged, nudging him with his elbow.

"Sure... I'm imagining that we're not only drinking coke, but we also have food," he started slowly, attempting to be creative.

"Ooh, what kind of food?" Jisung asked excitedly.

"Uh... Cheesecake?" Minho answered, uncertainty in his voice as he tried to randomly guess a food that Jisung would like. He opened his eyes to peek at Jisung's reaction.  
  
"Cheesecake!" Jisung exclaimed happily, his eyes bright with glee as he clapped his hands together. "Do you like cheesecake? I love cheesecake." He grinned at Minho expectantly, raising his eyebrows as if daring him to disagree.

Minho gave a short laugh at Jisung's goofy expression. "I like cheesecake, don't worry."

"Good! I think we're going to be great friends, Minho."

 

~

 

"Can I tell you something, Minho?"

"Yea, of course."

"I hope you can feel more comfortable with us as time goes on. We all really like you, I promise."

Minho smiled softly, turning to Jisung to meet his earnest gaze.  
"Thanks. I promise, I really like you, too."

_More than you will ever know, Jisung._

Jisung's smile only brightened as he patted Minho heavily on the back. "Awesome! I think we really have an amazing team here at JYP. I can't wait to see what we accomplish together."

With eyes of admiration, Minho watched as Jisung continued on, "We're gonna make it big one day, and then people everywhere will be listening to our music. Isn't that cool? I just love the feeling of being able to share my story with the world."

Minho merely nodded, a smile again tugging on his lips.

Jisung took one last swig of coke, finishing the can.

"We'll just have to give it our all in order to get there." Jisung"s eyes looked to Minho, who nodded back firmly.

"I'm ready to give it my all."

"Good. Don't forget to let me know if you ever need any help," Jisung offered, his gaze turned serious and Minho smiled back sincerely, his smile the most genuine Jisung had seen yet.

"Thank you, Jisung."

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AH I don't know how I feel about this, there's barely any Felix in this chapter and he's supposed to be the main character LOL. I literally have like 10 mins to post each chapter due to lack of wifi while abroad so.... I'm just gonna leave this here anyway! hahaha (can you tell jisung is my second favorite member of Stray Kids and I have a huge soft spot for Minho? XD) Thank you for the comments and support!! It's really motivating me to write more :) Only one more day until Mixtape is released!!


	6. Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're being given a chance, and they don't all react in the same way to the news.

"Team meeting! I have an announcement!" Chan declared excitedly, gathering everyone in the main dance room on a Thursday evening. “Hurry, hurry! Come quick!”

"What's up, what's up?" Jisung asked as he settled himself down beside Changbin, watching as Felix and Hyunjin sat down across from them.

"Did something happen, Chan?" Woojin asked, Seungmin and Jeongin following close behind. Chan merely shook his head, signaling for them to wait, a big smile on his face as he waited for Minho, the last one to sit down.

"Exciting news! The nine of us are being given a chance," Chan began, his eyes bright with excitement.

"A chance?" Felix murmured, unsure of what Chan meant. He looked to Changbin and saw the older boy's gaze harden with a look of determination.

"We're going to get the chance to be on a debut survival show."

"Debut?!" Jisung exclaimed with an immediate smile, his eyes wide.

"Survival?" Hyunjin questioned, lips pressing into a frown.

"Does this mean we're not all going to make it?" Jeongin asked quietly, looking to Hyunjin worriedly.

"Don't worry, we'll be okay," Woojin assured him, putting an arm around Jeongin's shoulders. "Right, Chan?"

"Yea! I won't leave any of you behind, don't worry," Chan grinned, his eyes flickering to Felix, whose gaze had lowered. "I have confidence in all of us."

"In preparation for the show, we're going to have to practice even harder. I told them the nine of us are ready, so they're going to give us the chance." Chan stated confidently.

Felix lifted his head and glanced at Changbin again, wondering why the older boy had turned silent. If anyone, he thought Changbin would have confidence in their readiness to debut.

"First things first," Chan continued. "I think we should celebrate! Let's order chicken for lunch! We're gonna take this opportunity and we're gonna make it big, guys!" He grinned, standing up to his feet to pump his fist in the air.

Seungmin was the first to jump up with a bright "Yay!!" clapping his hands happily. Woojin was quick to follow with a cheer for “Chicken!!”

"Debut! Finally!" Jisung shouted, joining Seungmin in jumping up and down. He leaned over and jostled Minho and Changbin. "Come on, guys! This is what we've been waiting for!" He stood up on his feet and cheered, pulling Felix and Hyunjin up as well and spinning them in a circle, cheering. Felix broke out into laughter and Minho and Jeongin jumped up to join them as well. As they each got up to join in the fun, Chan watched from the side, a satisfied grin on his face.

With a quiet sigh, he pushed back any fears he had and decided to start planning their next move. 3RACHA was going to have to release more mixtapes in order to generate more hype for their show. They were going to need to work on their performance quality, their teamwork, and especially their confidence. This show was going to be a whole new obstacle for them to face, but Chan wanted to believe they were ready for the challenge.

 

~

 

"Changbin?" Felix called out gently, unsurprised to see the older boy lying down on his back along a bench on the empty rooftop. It was already past 2 in the morning, and most of the other boys had gone home, but Felix had hoped he would be able to find Changbin here.

"How are you doing, Changbin?"

The older boy didn't bother to spare him a glance, recognizing the deep voice immediately. "What are you doing here, Felix?"

"Looking for you," Felix answered honestly. "How are you doing?" he asked again, unashamedly persistent.

Changbin shifted slightly as Felix sat down on the bench across the table from him. "I'm okay. Just thinking."

Hearing his friend's uncharacteristically curt tone, Felix suddenly felt guilty for bothering him. "Do you want me to leave? Do you want some time alone?"

Changbin sat up hastily, shaking his head. "No, no. You can stay."

"Are you sure? I can-"

Changbin cut him off. "I want you to stay, Felix."

"Okay," he nodded quietly.

"Thanks for checking on me," Changbin murmured, a slight smile on his lips.

"You seemed really quiet today after the big announcement. I was worried," Felix stated simply. He resorted to being direct when he didn't have enough vocabulary.

"I'm just... thinking." Changbin sighed, pulling the black snapback on his head lower, creating shadows to cover his eyes. "We're finally at this moment. The moment where our lives are gonna change. From here on, we can't mess up."

Felix stood up carefully and shuffled over to sit down beside his friend. "You believe in us, though, don't you? You're always telling me that you do."

"Of course," Changbin replied gently. "But it's still gonna be tough."

"We all depend on you a lot, don't we?" Felix mumbled, lowering his gaze. "You must be under a lot of pressure."

"Don't worry about it. I can handle it." Changbin pursed his lips, not liking where this conversation was going.

"All of us depend on 3RACHA a lot. You guys are our core." Felix bit his lip, only now coming to the realization himself.

"Don’t say stuff like that, Felix,” Changbin interjected firmly. “You gotta remember that you’re just as important to this group as I am, or as anyone else. All nine of us together is what makes our group complete. Don't worry too much about me, I'll be okay." Changbin assured him, placing his hand on Felix's knee.

Felix nodded, lips curving upward slightly. "If you say so," he replied, his voice lilting in a teasing tone. He smiled mischievously and scooted closer to Changbin, resting his head onto the older boy's shoulder. Lowering his deep voice to a murmur, in hopes that Changbin would catch the absolute seriousness in his next words, Felix added, "You know, you don't have always have to be so strong. If you need someone to lean on, you can always find me."

Changbin scoffed, his eyes smiling down fondly at the familiar brassy blonde hair. "Says you, but you're the one leaning on me right now." His voice was stern, but his chest was warm, and he didn't move to push Felix away.

The younger boy turned his head slightly to beam happily up at him. "I know. But it's because I trust you, Changbin."

 

~

 

"Minho, can I ask you for a favor?" Jeongin whispered, pulling on Minho's shirt sleeve gently to get his attention after practice the next day.

"Sure, what's up?" he asked curiously, wondering why Jeongin looked so secretive.

Jeongin's eyes darted from right to left, checking if anyone else was around. After making sure the coast was clear, he motioned for Minho to bend down so he could whisper in his ear. Blinking his eyes in confusion, Minho cautiously obeyed the youngest boy's request.

Minho wasn't expecting the question he heard next.

"Can you check on Jisung for me?"

"Jisung?" Minho repeated back rather loudly, still very confused.

Jeongin nodded furiously, putting a finger to his lips to shush him. "Don't tell him I told you this," he whispered, motioning for Minho to duck back down so he could reach his ear again. "Jisung was acting a little strange last night at the dorm. I tried talking to him about it, but I think he's hiding something from me."

Minho frowned slightly, concern darkening his gaze. "What did he do last night?"

Jeongin scrunched his nose in thought. "He didn’t do anything much, but I guess that was the weird part. Jisung's usually super extra, as you know. But then, when I tried asking him why he was being so quiet, he perked up so fast, it was almost _too fast_. His cheerfulness felt kind of awkward. Jisung's not usually like that."

The youngest boy's smile wavered slightly as he gave a weak laugh. "Jisung probably doesn't want to worry me because he thinks of me as a little brother. He seems to really like you though, and you're older, so maybe he'll tell you what's wrong."

 _Jisung really likes me?_ Minho couldn't help the question from forming in his head.

Not noticing how Minho's breath had caught in his throat, Jeongin continued. "I may be young, but I can tell when he's hiding something."

With a timid smile, Jeongin reached up to scratch the back of his head sheepishly, retreating from his position beside Minho's ear. "Sorry if this is a strange request... You don't have to do anything about it if you don't want to."

Minho merely shook his head and smiled back warmly. "Jeongin, you're a lot more perceptive and mature than we give you credit for," he noted, ruffling the younger boy's hair.

Jeongin grinned, "Oh, thanks, Minho. So does this mean you'll talk to him?"

"Yes, of course! I didn't realize Jisung really likes me though," Minho laughed lightly, his tone joking, but his mind refusing to let go of these words.

"I think so! He talks about you a lot. About how he's so happy that you've really found your place here."

Minho's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, I-I didn't know that."

"Yea! So I think he must really like you, which means he may be more willing to talk to you."

Minho coughed slightly, feeling suddenly self-conscious. Smiling shyly, he continued, "Okay, well thanks for letting me know to talk to him, Jeongin. I'll be sure to tell you how it goes!"

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry I actually died the past week or so... Family things got kind of busy. I think things have been all cleared though, thankfully. I plan to update often this week! Also, upon reevaluating this fic, I've decided I want to put in more of the other members and try to develop their characters as well, so it won't just be Felix and Changbin. (I say this, but this chapter is still mostly Felix and Changbin LOL. We'll see how this goes...) Comments and kudos are always appreciated!! Thank you to anyone who's still reading!


	7. Not Okay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stress and expectations are building up during the last few moments before the Stray Kids show begins.

"Seungminseungminseungmin."

"What?"

"Seungminseungminseungmin."

"What do you want, Hyunjin?"

"Seungminseungminseungmin."

"WHAT?!"

"Hi."

"...I'm leaving you."

"Noo! But Seungminnn..."

"Ok bye."

Seungmin sped up his footsteps to walk ahead of Hyunjin, but the older boy caught up quickly.

"C'mon Seungmin, we always walk from the bus stop to JYP together after school. Why you gotta leave me hanging like that?" Hyunjin whined, playfully draping his long arms over Seungmin's shoulders.

"Yea, you're lucky I have the patience to wait for you at the bus stop," Seungmin rolled his eyes in mock exasperation, but he couldn't resist the smile forming on his face.

"Thank youuu," Hyunjin slurred, his lips curled in a lazy grin.

"Yea, yea," Seungmin mumbled, pushing Hyunjin's heavy arms off so they could keep walking and make it to practice on time.

After a few moments of unusual silence between them, Hyunjin frowned slightly, realizing something was off. Usually Seungmin was loud and energetic coming back from school, telling him stories about what happened to him that day. Today, Seungmin was quiet.

"Something got you down, Seungmin?" Hyunjin asked curiously.

Seungmin sighed dejectedly and seeing this, Hyunjin immediately ran in front of him and put his hand out to stop Seungmin in his tracks.

"Whoa, whoa, Kim Seungmin. Now you have to tell me what's wrong. You are very not okay."

Seungmin swatted Hyunjin's hand down, that irresistable feeling of wanting to smile in Hyunjin's presence returning. "Bro, you don't have to make a huge deal out of this," he laughed lightly. "It's just... My mom's been bugging me about my grades. But that's nothing new, I guess. I'm trying my best, but it's so hard to focus on studying, especially now that our debut is actually in sight! And recently my vocal trainer's been bugging me about my tone... Do you know how hard it is to sing high notes, focus on your English pronunciation, stay in tune and in rhythm, and keep a smooth tone, all at the same time?!"

Hyunjin paused, feigning a look of deep thought, nodding slightly, before answering with a simple deadpan, "No." 

"Well, let me tell you, Hwang Hyunjin. It's hard," Seungmin stated, rolling his eyes again, this time with an undeniable grin on his face.

"Well, I believe that you can do it, Kim Seungmin. You're the best singer I know!" Hyunjin declared loudly and proudly. "Don't tell Woojin or Jeongin I said that," he added in a whisper.

Seungmin burst out into laughter. "You're ridiculous," he remarked, pushing past Hyunjin to continue walking. "But thanks," he smiled softly at his friend.

"Of course! I think we should stop and get some ice cream to cheer you up."

"Hyunjin, we're definitely gonna be late if we stop anymore."

 

~

 

It was getting late on a Wednesday night when Minho poked his head into the small practice room Jisung was working in and grinned, "Do you wanna take a break?"

Jisung smiled back and gave him a thumbs up. "Give me a minute to pack up my stuff."

Ten minutes later, Minho found himself following Jisung out of the building and into the chilly evening.

A peaceful calm settled between them, with Minho matching his footsteps to Jisung's. Out of habit, their steps were taking them back to the 24-hour convenience store they now frequented.

"Where are we going today?" Minho asked as they sat down on the bench outside the store, drinks in hand.

"Hmm, let's go back to the Han River park again, it's my favorite."

"Sure, it's really calming, isn't it?"

"Yep, that's the best part." Jisung smiled with a sigh, closing his eyes and slouching back on the bench.

After a few moments of stillness passed, Minho bit his lip, remembering that Jeongin said Jisung was being strangely quiet lately. He hoped this would be a good time to try to talk to Jisung about it.

"Jisung?"

"Hmm?"

"How are you feeling right now?"

"Relaxed," Jisung murmured softly, keeping his eyes closed.

"How have you been feeling recently, as a whole?" Minho tried again, carefully prying deeper.

Jisung paused before answering flatly, "Fine."

Minho frowned at this, unconvinced. Something definitely felt wrong.

"Are you nervous about the debut show?" Minho guessed.

"No, I mean, I have confidence in us as a group."

"Okay... Are you feeling stress-"

"Minho, can we not talk about this right now?" Jisung cut him off. With a sigh, he lowered his voice to a murmur. "I kinda just wanna relax while I can. You should too, we have a long road ahead of us to debut."

Minho couldn't find the heart to argue.

"Okay, Jisung. Let's go back to the river. We'll watch the sunset," Minho smiled softly at his friend, but his gaze betrayed the growing worry in his mind. 

 

~

 

"Yah, Hwang Hyunjin. Get off your butt. I'm gonna give you a rap lesson before we go home today."

Hyunjin rolled over from his position on the practice room floor, "But Changbinnn, I've been dancing for the past few hours, I'm so tired, I was about to take a nap."

"It's 10pm, Hyunjin. If you take a nap now, you won't wake up until tomorrow morning." Changbin scoffed, stepping over to Hyunjin's body and poking him with his toe. "C'mon, they said they're starting the survival show at the next trainee showcase. We gotta show a good performance if we wanna be picked to debut. Give me like 2 hours. Then we can both go home happy."

"Hmmm... How 'bout no?"

Changbin pursed his lips, contemplating how he could get the boy to move.

"Hyunjin, if you don't get up, I'm gonna attack you with tickles," he stated in a tone of complete seriousness.

Hyunjin laughed haughtily and smirked, "Do your worst."

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've finally reached the start of the Stray Kids show! Hahaha I started rewatching the show to make this fic as real as possible. If there are any events that took place during the time of the show that you would definitely want me to include in this fic, please let me know! (Especially if anything happened to Stray Kids that wasn't shown on the show itself... I'm going to be honest, I didn't keep up with the show as it was being aired, so I may have missed stuff) Also, a disclaimer: I've obviously never been in the kpop industry before, so a lot of stuff I'm just guessing (feel free to correct me) and some things I've just ignored due to convenience (like the fact that there are other trainees at JYP besides them LOL but I'm just gonna ignore that fact in order to keep this story from getting overly complicated). Lots of Hyunjin in this chapter heheh and introducing another pairing that even I didn't expect to write about LOL but rewatching the show, I realized I needed to include his friendship with Seungmin more. (what's their ship name??) Also, I actually like Seungmin a lot, but I realized I haven't written about him at all :< Next update will be soon!


	8. Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the day of the trainee showcase.

The day had finally arrived. The day of the trainee showcase through which the company was going to choose their next group to debut. Felix was nervous to say the least. Luckily his lines in their performance of "Warrior's Descendant" were mostly in English, so he didn't have to worry as much about his Korean pronunciation. That didn't stop him from repeating the lyrics under his breath like a mantra, perfecting his rap in the dressing room after they had completed their final onstage rehearsal.

He had his earbuds in, his eyes glued to his phone, watching a practice video of their performance. Through the corner of his eye, he could see Changbin, sitting beside Jisung, muttering his rap under his breath as well. Felix smiled softly, distracted with admiration for his friend who he knew would later dominate the stage with his talent.

Earlier during their rehearsal, Changbin and Jisung had both dropped their microphones during their performance. Jisung had even messed up some of his lyrics. Felix knew his friends were shaken by their mistakes, but he had confidence that Changbin and Jisung wouldn't let that affect their performance later. They were both amazing rappers. Right now, Felix needed to focus on himself, perfect himself to the best of his ability, so that he wouldn't let the rest of his team down. Taking a deep breath to try to calm his nerves, he turned his gaze back to his phone and continued his last minute practice.

Meanwhile, Jisung was much less confident. "It's going to be really hard for me when I go on stage," Jisung groaned. "Ahh I'm so nervous..."

Changbin, sitting beside him, was lost in his own world, as he ignored Jisung in favor of going over his lyrics once more.

Minho, sitting on Jisung's other side, could only look on worriedly, giving Jisung's arm a small squeeze to hopefully convey his feelings of encouragement to the younger boy. With practice only intensifying in the days leading up to the showcase, Minho still hadn't found the chance to have a proper conversation with Jisung yet. Glancing at Jeongin, who was going over lyrics with Chan on the other side of the room, Minho felt guilty for not being able to give the youngest a straight answer to his request.

Hyunjin, standing in front of their huddled group of chairs, remained silent as well. His normally laid-back attitude was nowhere to be seen as a look of anxiety clouded his features.

Once the showcase began, it wasn't long until the three members of 3RACHA were pulled away to perform "Runner's High". From the dressing room, Felix could hear the thundering cheers of the audience in response to their powerful rap performance, and he smiled with pride for his friends.

 

~

 

"Team huddle!" Chan called out as soon as all 9 of them had gathered backstage in preparation for their group performance. "Let's make this our last showcase, okay? Let's just have fun when we go up on stage!" He placed one hand in the middle, and everyone stuck a hand in to join him, physically bonding their team for a brief, precious moment, before they pushed their hands down, ending their huddle with a shout, "Fighting!"

Woojin cheered in an attempt to raise their spirits and dispel some of the nervous energy surrounding them. Hyunjin, with his back turned to lead them to walk onto the stage, cheered as well, masking the nervousness on his face.

As they shuffled on stage to their starting positions for "Warrior's Descendant", Changbin crouched down into his position on the elevated platform in the back. He met eyes with Felix, who was standing directly in front of him, in position for Woojin to flip him over his back at the start of the choreography.

Felix wiggled his eyebrows mischievously at Changbin, teasing a reaction from him. The older boy smirked and gave Felix a quick wink as the music began blasting from the speakers. Felix's breath caught in his chest as he felt his body being literally flipped head over heels, breaking his gaze away from Changbin.

Gathering his emotions as his feet landed back on solid ground, Felix saved the image of Changbin's wink in the back of his mind. For now, the show had to go on.

 

~

 

After the curtains closed on the final performance, the trainees were called back on stage for the announcement of the chosen debut team.

It was obvious that JYP barely knew the rest of them, besides Chan. But despite complimenting Chan's dancing, singing, rap and feel, JYP critiqued his lack of charisma. His comments were harsh and Minho found himself shrinking back, intimidated, until he was practically hidden behind Jisung. He was instinctively searching for a feeling of safety, and Jisung was still the friend who he trusted most. He just hoped no one would notice that he had fallen out of line with his other group mates.

"The boys team member who caught my eye the most was..." JYP continued, his stern gaze directed towards their group. "Changbin."

Everyone clapped in awe, their eyes automatically drawn to the rapper whose expression relayed minimal happiness. "Changbin, during your parts you really show that you have a lot of passion and I think your rap is the best."

Listening to JYP compliment his friend so generously, Felix couldn't tear his proud gaze away from Changbin. He watched as Changbin managed to smile awkwardly and bow, his body stiff.

As JYP moved on to talk to the girls' team next, Felix waited for Changbin to look in his direction before giving him a small thumbs up of encouragement. Seeing this, Changbin broke into a genuine smile, but he quickly covered it with the back of his hand and shook his head in embarrassment. Felix beamed back happily, grateful Changbin was getting the attention he deserved.

JYP cleared his as throat before beginning his final announcement. "There were a lot of concerns about which team would get to debut first, the boys or the girls. I consulted our agency and our conclusion is... JYP Entertainment's next group will be..."

Seungmin bowed his head down, the suspense overshadowing all other thoughts in his mind. Beside him, Jisung's gaze lowered as well.

"The boys project team."

Chan let out the breath he had been holding in his chest. _Finally_.

Seungmin smiled softly at the ground. Jisung froze. No one dared to speak, in fear of shattering what felt like a dream, an unbelievable reality. 

Changbin let out his caged breath with a sigh of relief. They were another step closer to their dreams.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure how I feel about the way my tone changed now that I'm starting to write about the show itself. I'm experimenting with shifting focus between the members, and hopefully it's not too unnatural. I'm mainly going off of who's shown on screen during the time. Any feedback will be appreciated! Thank you again for reading :)


End file.
